Actor Tom Hardy says his villainous role as Bane in the new Batman film shouldn't be compared to Heath Ledger's critically acclaimed performance as The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight.

Actor Tom Hardy says his villainous role as Bane in the new Batman film shouldn't be compared to Heath Ledger's critically acclaimed performance as The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight.

Praising Ledger as "brilliant," Hardy said that he never sees the late Australian actor as a competitor, reported Aceshowbiz.

"I don't think absolutely. That would be putting myself in a competition with somebody who's clearly brilliant. And it's not a question of whose talent is greater or whose work is greater.

"It's just trying to be the best that we can be, rather than trying to be better than somebody else. I'm not trying to be better than somebody else. What he did was amazing. That's that. I've got a part I've got to play, and I want to play my part," Hardy said.

The 34-year-old actor also said that he wasn't really familiar with the character of Bane at the time he was offered the role.

"I had no immediate knowledge of the world of Batman at all. I'm quite incubated. I just keep myself and my dog. He's not with me anymore. And if something comes in, it's always a neat experience. So I started when I first got the part," he said.

Slated for a July 20 release in the US, "The Dark Knight Rises" will see Bane arriving in Gotham City and forcing Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes.